


Long December

by SophisticatedFangirling



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-18
Updated: 2013-06-03
Packaged: 2017-12-05 18:38:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/726555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophisticatedFangirling/pseuds/SophisticatedFangirling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of tragic events lead to Caroline turning her humanity off. multichapter Warnings: Major character death, graphic depictions of violence in future chapters, very dark!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

" _I can't. I can't. Just STOP it. I can't."_

The sound of Elena reciting the memory in her head became one with her own voice, the words falling from her mouth like something decayed, revolting, dripping with every sinister thing she had ever seen. Still, they were the only thing she still had to hold on to.

But it wasn't enough. Nothing ever was going to be enough again. Because the covers had been ripped and revealed the true colors of the world she was living in. It was infinite darkness, rotten, crawling with nothing but monsters, creatures that mocked the unrepentable nature of the horrendous things they did with a flicker of humanity in their eyes.

She wanted to throw up. Somewhere, somehow in her head a peculiarly sober voice made the fascinating observation that at a certain point unbearable amounts of hate and grief and fear and pain, _pain_ blended into an overpowering sickness, transformed the world into, no, exposed it to be a nest of flesh eating worms.

She listened to herself in her pointless attempt to squeeze all of this into confessions of helplessness, and calmly noted that her voice sounded quite funny like that. She was hugging herself, her fingers leaving bruises on her arms as she lost all control of her vampire-strength, she was kneeling in the dirt of the forest floor, sobbing and swinging in an erratic rhythm.

There was wood all around her. She contemplated killing herself. She never had before.

And even now, even after all this, somehow she knew that she wouldn't. There was no emotional weight to this realization; she was neither glad nor disgusted with herself. The voice in her head laughed at the irony. In this moment, as she felt all and everything washed into a soup of mold and everything she was, everything she had ever been, dissolved in it like it was acid, liquid vervein – in the end even now all it did was reveal a seemingly indestructible core.

She didn't care. The pain, _the pain_. She felt herself being pulled back into the weeping shell of a girl that was now crawling and wailing into the dirt, her fingers digging into the ground. It felt like being ripped apart, her insides convulsing, and maybe that was what was actually happening, since the composed voice in her head only seemed to be intensified by the pain crashing down on her. She was watching herself, as if she was floating above, and the hysterical version of herself was someone else entirely. Except she could still feel the pain. Maybe this was trauma, she had read about it.

She couldn't imagine any way how this would ever be okay again. Even if she got over what had happened, the mental scars just seemed too deep. There was something so fundamentally broken in her that the realization almost shocked emotion back into the distanced observer. Who was she – the girl trashing on the ground, the girl watching? She felt like both and none of them at the same time. Nothing was in order, nothing was in control.

" _Maybe you should try to turn it all off."_

She knew without a doubt that that would result in her killing Elena.

She knew without a doubt that she would lose everything she was, everything she had become the past year, throw all the work straight out into the trash. She was a caregiver, a control freak, she fixed things. And there was no way to fix this now.

There was nothing and no one left to fix this for.

She laughed again and to her surprise she heard the strangled noises leave her mouth instead of just echoing in her head. Every measure of sanity had left anyway.

There _was_ a way to fix this, to get back in control. Well, maybe it wouldn't exactly be her that would exercise this control. But then again, maybe it just wasn't who she thought she was. After all – hadn't she found the core of who she was right now?

" _Maybe this is the better version of me."_

Maybe Elena had been right.

" _We are the same. You like being strong, ageless, fearless."_

Maybe they both were. Maybe she was just like him, the devil incarnate, the monster who indulged in his sins, incapable of betterment.

Maybe she had been this all along.

She sat up, shaking almost longing for physical pain. (She had never understood why people cut themselves up until now – why hadn't she tried this earlier? She'd heal anyway, after all, she was _immortal_. ' _Because it isn't like you_ ,' the voice of reason whispered. _Or maybe it is_.)

She searched for the switch, all curiosity and despair. She was almost surprised that it didn't take any time at all. There it was, its presence carrying an air of self-evidence, just as if it had been there all along , and she wondered how she could have possibly ever been blind to it in the first place.

Without second thought she turned it off.


	2. Th Grey

**So I spent a whole day writing this and at the end the file was defect.**

**Fortunately I happened to be sitting in a pile of nerds and we managed to recover half of it.**

**I immediatly sat down and wrote the whole thing again. So when all of my friends were drinking and talking, I spent my time hunched over a laptop, listening to depressing music.**

**It was an emotionally draining process and it made me realize just how important writing is to me.**

**This chapter now holds a special place in my heart.**

**Enjoy ;)**

* * *

**1\. The grey**

She’d let him take her off-guard. Again.

Given her hope and ripped it away right from under her again.

Just like when she had thought he’d spare Tyler.

Just like when he had succeeded to make her believe there was good in him, only to then proceed to kill Tyler’s mother. Only to then proceed to attempt to murder her herself.

So she cried alone, again, in her shower. Just as she always did.

She didn’t really mind, though, she was used to it. There was too much going on, everybody was suffering and Bonnie sure as hell needed Stefan’s comfort now, more than her.

It was okay to cry alone, she was strong.

What had really hurt was that he had, for one moment, given her the illusion that she didn’t have to. And he had the audacity to be hurt by her words, he had the audacity to expect for her to be _‘attracted to the allure of his darkness’_.

She had killed 12 people today.

The guilt washed over her again. It was too much, almost numbing the pain again.

She placed her hand on the shower wall to stabilize herself as strangled sobs escaped her throat.

Good, crying was good. She hoped that, along with the water, it would wash away the weight of what she had done. Just as it had washed away the torture, the grief, the loneliness.

He had pushed it right into her face. _‘You tell yourself whatever you need to so you can sleep at night.’_

At the end of this day _another of these nights_ awaited her. And despite herself this was the most terrifying thought of them all. She’d done this before. She knew, _she knew_. And every cell of her body protested, tried to reject it. The worst was not the horror that was, but the horror that was to come.

And somewhere inside a small voice whispered her biggest fear. _One day you are going to break._

_One day all of this will be too much._

But she couldn’t, she wouldn’t.

Despite everything that had happened to her, she was happy with who she was. She was strong, she was though and she was good. No matter how hard she fell, she would get right back on her feet again and continue. She didn’t need anyone, she didn’t need anything.

Just hours ago these words had felt real, had felt true. But now, for a moment, they felt like an empty mantra she was reciting to herself.

Instead the nagging voice of doubt, of fear, of self-loathing that she knew didn’t have any leverage if she didn’t let it, seemed far more convincing.

Terrible people. People who do terrible things are just terrible people.

She was a terrible, terrible person.

She watched herself think these thoughts, observed them, knowing they were caused by circumstances and not to be believed.

But sometimes one needed to give in for a moment, in order to get it out of one’s system and to be able to recollect oneself properly afterwards.

Open up. So she stood there, weeping helplessly, having opened up the gates of her own personal hell.

And in the midst of all this she saw his face, his expression and tone of voice menacing, only worsened by the fact that they followed a look of fake concern and the words that fell from his lips cut into her like a vervein-laced knife. _‘Hey, hey. You look like you’re in need of comfort… Why don’t you find someone less terrible you can relate to.’_

She hated him.

She hated him more than anything else in this moment.

Her hand balled a fist against the tiles and she gritted her teeth.

Yes, this was the way to channel all this into a purpose, her way out of this, for now. She wasn’t usually one to build herself up on hate but this time it just felt right.

It was all his fault. The minute he had arrived to kill Elena. And Jenna, not because it was necessary, but only because of mere delight in cruelty. He had kidnapped Stefan and made him an emotionless serial killer. He had turned Tyler into his slave. He had made him bite her. And Tyler trying to free himself from that damned sire bond had let to the death of her father. He had caused for Bonnie’s gramps to be tortured by spirits for eternity. He had killed Tyler’s mother and driven him away. Jeremy had died, Bonnie had suffered greatly, Elena had turned off her emotions – all in the process of finding that stupid cure that he had brought up in the first place. He had almost killed Caroline herself. Hell, she had been turned to be his vampire sacrifice, in the first place.

What she had done – she had done it out of love, or because she couldn’t help it. He damaged, killed and destroyed out of a sick, twisted enjoyment of these things. Even when she was at her worst like today – worlds lay between them. He was a monster. She wasn’t.

Even if, right now, there still was a nagging little voice in the back of her head telling her that she had already left the black and white and entered the grey.

No, there was no grey. Even now.

Angry tears fell from her eyes, but the sobbing had stopped.

Yes, this was good. She knew it was not that easy, there were layers to this, but still. In some way, it was true. Life was never black and white, even when she wished it to be, especially when she wished it to be. There were a thousand perspectives on everything and anything. But in order to be able to capable to live and act, one had to choose, at least temporary. And this was it, this felt true and honest and real, being fired by recent events.

She hated him, hated him for everything he had done.

But most of all she hated him for messing with her head, for making her like him, for making her doubt her assessments of him, only to painfully prove her wrong again. For _that fucking face and that fucking suave way of phrasing things and these fucking beautiful things he’d say to her and the way he looked at her and-_

She let out a cry of frustration and desperation.

The fucking bastard deserved to die!

None of this mattered. All that mattered was that, when it came down to it, he would always be a disappointment. What had she expected, he had been this way for a thousand years.

Any amount of liking, had there been any left, was dead now.

Slowly, little by little, she felt the anguish receding.

When she finally stepped out of the shower she had not only cleansed herself of the guilt but also of him.

She looked into the mirror, and she was glad to see herself again, reassembled, strong. She let out a sigh of relief. This, too, had passed. A sense of wariness was left, but that was nothing compared to the terror of raw pain.

As she applied her body lotion, all the little creams, got dressed, practiced all her little rituals the rush of power and pride tingled underneath her skin. She had done this, again. She had survived this, again.

As she was curling her hair she heard the buzz of her cell phone.

An unknown number. This could be important. She picked it up.

“I need your help,” a familiar voice croaked. “It’s about Silas.”

Klaus. How dare he ask for her _help_! She was furious, about to hang up just like that. But then a realization clicked in – Silas. A pang of guilt followed. Silas, whom she had killed twelve witches for.

“Where are you?” she asked, her anger clearly audible.

“At my house.” What was wrong with his voice?

It didn’t matter. She hung up and then proceeded to finish curling her hair. No matter what this was, she’d make him wait.

 

* * *

 

He was crouching on the floor of his living room, shirtless. _What the-_

Even now she couldn’t help but appreciate the sight, but it only fueled her anger.

On second glance – he was sweating. He didn’t look well.

A fire burned in the fireplace, painting the room a warm shade of orange.

At first it seemed as if he hadn’t even noticed her arrival. Then, finally, he raised his head a little and his eyes focused on her. There was a moment of silence, and the tension was so thick, she swore one could cut through it.

“Are you real?” His voice was strained, but focused.

She frowned. What kind of question was that?

“What?” she snapped.

Anger flashed through his eyes. “I’ve been having hallucinations,” he explained, his voice somewhat rough.

Oh. What?

“Why?”

“Silas. Prove it,” he ordered.

Something shifted. She felt the anger rush back up in her. “Excuse me?”

He let out a small growl. “You have to prove to me that you are not a hallucination.” He squinted, his eyes dilating out of focus for a moment.

“And how the hell am I supposed to do that?” she snapped, placing her hands on her hips.

“You have to tell me something only you and I know.” Her frown deepened, as he took a few shaky breaths. “Silas is the one giving me these hallucinations and so far they have proven that he has limited access to my head.”

She stared down at him, thinking. A cold expression appeared on her face.

“And why would I do that?”

“Caroline!” he snarled. “This is a serious situation. If you want me to I can come over there and see for myself just how real you are.”

She curled her upper lip in disgust.

She left him hanging a little longer. Finally she said, “Your father killed your favorite horse.”

He nodded, relieved. Then he rose, visibly struggling and she took a step back.

He let out an annoyed huff and rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, love.”

Then he turned around and revealed a wound on his shoulder.

“It’s white oak,” he pressed out. “You have to get it out.”

She looked over the wound. It looked pretty bad, painful. Good.

Suddenly she felt her anger intensify. After what had happened just hours ago he dared to ask for her _help_. He dared to expect of her to just gulp down the pain, the humiliation, the shame of being _rejected_ by _him_ and help him, just like that?

“And why would I help you?”He turned his head towards her, his eyes wide with fury and hurt. Good.

Swiftly and controlled, she pressed her hand onto the wound and pushed the splinters farther in.

He fell to his knees, on all fours, screaming in pain.

She felt a rush of power, mesmerized by the sight. Instantly, the guilt kicked in, but she pushed it down.

She stared down at him, unmoving. “I will bring you nothing but misery.”

Their eyes met. He gritted his teeth, fingers almost digging into the floor.

She knew this hadn’t been the greatest of ideas but right now she couldn’t care less. She had nothing to lose anyway.

Then his eyes dilated out of focus again, he could barely keep himself steady on his arms. Suddenly he stumbled backwards, eyes fixed on the empty space before him, his face contorted in an expression of genuine fear.

He was seeing something.

Her heart dropped and somehow she knew that she wouldn’t be able to keep this up. It made her uncomfortable seeing him like this. Enough.

She kneeled down beside him and lightly touched his arm.

“Klaus.” He didn’t react. “Klaus, it’s not real.”

He turned his head to look at her, a terrified, rabid look in his eyes, followed by relief.

Then his face hardened and anger settled in his features.  

She half expected him to lash out at her; surprisingly all he did was glare at her. Maybe he was just too exhausted.

“ ** _Don’t_** try that again. That is if you value your life. I am **not** a patient man right now.”

She licked her lips and got up. A pair of tongs lay on the table nearby, already stained in blood. Obviously he had tried to remove the splinters himself.

“Are we done with our little revenge-fantasies now?” His voice was strained; he was barely holding it together.

She sat down behind him and positioned herself in front of the wound.

“What makes you think I’m not going to kill you?” she asked, calmly.

A moment of silence followed, and a part of her was glad that she couldn’t see his face.

“Because it’s not like you,” he answered, his voice harsh.

“Maybe it is.”

But it wasn’t, and instead she caught the first splinter between the tongs and pulled it out.

He groaned in pain and shifted his weight onto his arms, trembling.

“I hate you,” she whispered.

Anger rose up again and she pulled out the next one in a much harsher motion. He bawled and doubled up in pain. Instantly, regret set in.

“Wait,” he croaked. “Break.”

She complied.

A moment of uncomfortable silence spread between them.

She licked her lips and eyed the splinter she had just pulled out of his shoulder.

Abruptly he jumped to his feet and turned around, a crazed look in his eyes. He was seeing things again. She rose, too, eyeing him warily.

“ **Don’t touch me!** ” he yelled, taking an aggressive stance.

Her eyes widened and she took a step back.

“ **You have no power over me!** ” he screamed.

Suddenly he lunged at her, grabbing her upper arms. She flinched and fear surged through her veins.

She hadn’t realized the amount of danger she was in, alone with a murderous psychopath suffering from hallucinations. He had hurt her before.

“Klaus?” She hated how weak her voice was.

“ **I will destroy you!** ” She flinched again, terrified.

No, this was not the way to go. She was no coward. She was strong. She had to shake him out of this again; it hadn’t been that difficult the first time.

She brought her hand up to his face and touched the side of his face, keeping eye contact.

“Klaus, it’s me,” her voice was steady and composed.

He looked back at her, his dilating into focus again. A confused look on his face he assessed the situation. Abruptly he released her arms, a deeply disturbed look on his face.

“Have I hurt you _?_ ” he asked, worry both evident in his face and his tone.

She dropped her hand.

“No,” she assured him.

Relief spread on his face, then it hardened again.

“Let’s proceed.”

He turned around and sat down again.

She seated herself behind him, ready to pull out the wood.

“How did this happen?”

She caught a splinter and drew it out. He tensed up and let out a groan.

He took a moment to compose himself, then answered.

“Silas. He wants the cure. He tried to turn me into his lapdog and get it for him. I declined.”

Silas seemed like more and more of a threat now. If he had managed to inflict this wound, he could easily have killed him. “I suppose he tried to make a point. He granted me a visit after you left.”

She pulled out the next splinter and his breathing got heavier again.

How exactly had he rammed in the stake to break it into that many pieces?

He gulped and she felt him tense up again.

“I thought you were with Stefan.”

She frowned. Where was this going? It was none of his business, especially after what happened in the woods.

“He’s with Bonnie,” she answered. “She needs him right now.”

She pulled out another splinter, revealing a big piece of wood, embedded deep in his flesh. No wonder he was in such pain.

“This is going to hurt,” she announced, positioning the pair of tongs near the stake.

She was about to pull it out when she heard him, whispering so quietly that she’d almost missed it.

“ _Why are you doing this to me?_ ” It sounded honestly desperate and entirely out of character.

She shifted to the right, leaning in front of him to take a look at his face.

Her suspicion was confirmed, his eyes were vacant again.

She was about to shake it out of him, when he spoke up again.

“ _Why do you give me hope only to take it away again?_ ”

She froze.

“ _What else am I supposed to do for you?_ ”

She felt her walls crumbling around her.

Her stomach dropped.

There was no black and white, there never had been. Even, or rather especially when she needed it to be. Instead, all there was, was a terrifying, painful grey. And she was caught right in the middle of it. With him.

She put her hand on his arm, realizing that it was shaking.

“Klaus.”

He turned his head and looked straight back at her, slowly his eyes came into focus again. Then realization hit his face, abruptly replaced by a look of sheer terror. She held her breath.

Finally, he looked away. She slid back in behind him.

“This is going to hurt,” she repeated, her voice shaking.

She willed her hands to be still, positioned the tongs around the wood and started to pull.

He tried to suppress the noise coming from his throat, but it came out strangled instead.

His hands were clutching to the fabric of his jeans, his knuckles white.

Finally, it was out and she let out her breath that she hadn’t even known she was still holding.

There were only a few small splinters left and she removed them quickly.

Then she dropped the pair of tongs to the floor and sat back.

She watched him heal and was once again mesmerized by the perks of being a vampire.

The experience had left her emotionally drained.

For some reason she felt like she had pulled the wood right out of her own flesh. A whole different kind of cleansing process.

Only it hadn’t washed away the things she wanted to rid herself of, but brought them back, full force, again.

All the carefully built defenses had been torn right down.

She was in the grey, with him and all the guilt that came back, crashing down on her again.

She had killed twelve people.

She’d have to _sleep_ tonight.

She felt a defeating sense of weakness coming over her and this time there was nothing controlled about it, no way to make it okay.

She couldn’t do this. Not here. Not with him.

She had to get out.

She staggered to her feet, legs shaking she headed towards the door.

He rose, too and flashed in front of her. “I can’t let you wander off like that. Silas is out there, he was in my head. I can’t let him use you against me.”

She looked up at him, desperation rising in her. All the dams had broken down again and the water was rising. She couldn’t do this again. Not in front of him.

The torturous helplessness took over.

“But- I have to – I need to-,” she stammered, not really knowing what it was that she needed.

She saw worry in his eyes and she evaded his gaze. She couldn’t do this. Not again.

That was until he suddenly reached out and carefully pulled her into his arms.

She tensed up. She should push him away. She should hate him.

Instead she felt a deep sense of relief rushing over her, forming a peculiar symbiosis with the overwhelming dread she still felt.

“Shh… It’s okay. I’ve got you,” she heard him murmur.

She buried her face in his chest and let out a sob. She felt his hands caress her back and let herself get lost. This wasn’t exactly new, she’d let him comfort her the night he’d saved her from himself.

She’d needed this, she hadn’t even known how much. After everything that had happened in the last days – losing Tyler, Jeremy dying, Elena losing her humanity, almost getting killed by her, Bonnie and _the witches_ – she suddenly realized that she couldn’t do this any longer. Not alone.

And on some level, for now, she accepted that.

It didn’t change anything about how wrong this was, how inacceptable evil the nature of the things he did was, how terrible _her own_ crimes were (the guy she killed the night she was turned, her mother’s colleagues,  _twelve_ witches).

She was in the grey.

But at least she was not alone, for now.


	3. Prom Night 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your support!
> 
> From next week on the story will be updated scedually on wednesday.
> 
> Enjoy ;)

**Prom Night I**

It was Prom night – _her_ prom night.

Apart from graduating herself she'd also organized the whole thing – every last little bit of it. And it was perfect. Just like her dress, a designer piece for which she had saved up for a whole year. She'd chosen it far in advance, being the planner that she was. It was crème-colored, almost white, sleeveless, and from her décolleté to her waist it was covered in details until it fell down in drapes to the floor.

Perfect.

As she stared at herself in the mirror, it almost made up for everything else that was _not_ perfect.

Bonnie was a mess. Jeremy's death had hit her almost as hard as Elena.

Elena, however, had returned from New York – with Rebekah instead of Damon. All of a sudden she seemed to be best friends with the blonde devil, although Caroline didn't doubt that she'd backstab her the second it brought her an advantage. She was almost sorry for Rebekah – almost.

Although they _had_ found Katherine, they hadn't found the cure.

As soon as they were sure that that it was pointless, both girls had abandoned Damon and Stefan with Katherine and, surprisingly, Ellijah.

The guys had arrived later with a rental car – and not amused.

She'd fought with Elena again – several times, although she'd tried not to provoke her. She had decided not to let it get to her, but it was hard, especially with the things she'd said.

Silas was still out there and nobody knew where he was or what he was doing. Stefan had talked to Klaus – she'd avoided him after the incident.

She'd cursed herself for her weakness, but she let it slide. It was too late now, anyways. And luckily, she'd had the prom to focus on.

Tonight was prom night.

Which, if you judge the future by the past, was also a very dangerous thing. Each and every dance or party since the Salvatores appearance in town had sooner or later ended in death and tragedy.

So she stood in front of her mirror, fixing her hair and wishing with all her heart that _this time_ , this _one_ time things would be okay.

* * *

Elena sighed, leaving Bonnie seated at the table and sauntered over to Caroline who was currently fixing a misplaced decoration.

"She's no fun."

Caroline took a deep calming breath and then turned her head towards her friend.

"Would you please just leave her alone? She's been through too much already, she doesn't need you making it worse."

She'd resorted to a bitchy attitude by now, babying humanity-less Elena was an impossibility.

Elena rolled her eyes in annoyance. She really did look gorgeous in her dress.

"Maybe we should turn her."

Caroline's head snapped towards Elena, who now had her full attention.

" **What**?! Are you out of your mind?"

Elena raised her eyebrows playfully. "Why? How about both of you turn it off. We could have so much more fun. You know, like old times."

"It would be _nothing_ like the old times. And besides, don't you have a new best friend to tend to?"

Elena leant back against the wall. "Yeah, but she's already boring me. She's too old to turn it off, how lame is that? Sooner or later I'll have to get rid of her."

Her suspicions had been confirmed. "And that's exactly the point, Elena. Everything you do now – it will come back to you as soon as this is over. Because that stupid switch does **not** last forever. Do you even understand what that means?"

"You are the blonde, forgot about that? That time will be centuries away. I'll just have my fun while it lasts."

Caroline took another deep calming breath and then leaned in, fixing her gaze on Elena's. "This is my **prom**. Do you even have any idea what that means to me? Could you just please give me **this one day** to have some fun? You can ruin any other day but not this one, not prom." She made eye contact with Damon and motioned to him to come over.

Elena smirked, mirth in her eyes.

"Oh, don't worry, Caroline. I'll make sure your prom turns out _just wonderful_."

Damon arrived and Caroline grabbed him by the arm.

"She's talking about **turning Bonnie**. You better watch the hell out for her or both of you are **off the guest list**."

Damon raised his eyebrows. "Slow down, Blondie." He reached for Elena's arm, who tried to free herself but failed. "I'll take care of her. No worries. Now dance along."

"Yeah, sure," Elena snorted, obviously not content with the way she was being handled. She probably already thought of a way to escape.

Caroline shook her head and walked off. None of that tonight.

If anything, Damon was able to take keep her from doing what she wanted.

She gritted her teeth, she still didn't like him.

But anything that kept Elena from making sure her prom turned out _just wonderful_ was just fine with her.

She approached Bonnie, smiling gently.

"I'm glad you came."

Bonnie sighed. "You basically forced me."

She slowly sat down beside her friend, leaning towards her. "It's _prom_ , Bonnie. No matter what, you shouldn't miss it."

Bonnie stared vacantly off into the crowd, then turned her head towards Caroline, smiling, although it didn't reach her eyes. Something was broken in her friend, but she knew she would turn out okay. Bonnie was strong, a survivor. She just needed time and some tending.

She reached out for her hand.

"Let's make this the best night ever." Bonnie nodded, still smiling but the sadness in her eyes still very evident.

Matt approached them – Bonnie's date for tonight. Caroline was glad Matt was there to take care of her. He was probably the best person to do the job, so very kind and most of all very _human_. Normal. Exactly what Bonnie needed right now.

"Hey, Care." He stood beside Bonnie, placing his hand on the back of her chair.

"Well done, the prom is great."

A bright smile plastered her face. "Thank you! It was a hell of a lot of work. I had to make them change the table cloths three times – and the flowers, I don't even want to start talking about that."

Bonnie laughed a little, and warmth spread in Caroline's heart.

Bonnie was going to be alright, in time.

"Uhm, Care," Matt remarked nervously, his eyes squinted, "I know it's not the best of news but I think there's a certain someone staring at you from the door."

Bonnie raised her head and tensed up, a flicker of her signature anger burning in her eyes.

Caroline turned around.

Klaus.

" _You're not serious_ ," she spoke through clenched teeth.

She got up. "I'll take care of that. He shouldn't even be here."

She knew he could hear her. Bonnie looked down and Matt sighed.

She smiled at both of them again. "Have fun, make the best of this night. I'll see you two later."

Then she turned around and put on a serious expression again, walking towards Klaus.

"What are you doing here?"

His gaze was serious, too but he didn't fail to paint his voice with his usual detached sarcasm.

"Well, as far as I can see, you don't have a date, love."

She almost laughed out loud. The nerve of this man.

"I do."

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, I don't see anyone around."

She searched through the crowd until she found Stefan; he was watching Elena and Damon dancing from another side of the room. "There you go."

"I take it Elena came with Damon then."

She nodded. "She did."

Matt and Bonnie, Elena and Damon, her and Stefan and Rebekah, who had apparently _compelled_ herself a date from out of town.

She turned around, keeping her eyes on the crowd and he stepped in beside her.

They shared a moment of silence, the past 'incident' hanging like a threat in the air.

"So… how have you been?" he asked, cautiously.

Her expression hardened. "Just fine. Actually, I've been pretty busy, planning and organizing all of this." She made a waving motion with her hand.

He smiled to himself. "I know. I have to say I'm impressed, by the way. But I wouldn't have expected anything less from you." He smiled at her. "You look ravishing by the way."

She snapped her head towards him. " _Seriously_ , why are you here?"

An amused expression spread on his face.

"Well, for starters I believe your date is not exactly exceeding at his job. It looks to me like little Elena has two dates, or rather two watchdogs, instead of one."

Caroline snorted. "She _needs_ to be watched. She's a freaking _time bomb_ right now."

He chuckled. "I think I might actually like her better this way. She's still annoying, but at least that pretentious moralist self-righteousness is gone."

Her face hardened. "Yeah? Well, I don't. She almost killed me."

The smile fell off his face. "She did _what_?"

Her and her big mouth. Fuck.

" _Leave her alone_. She's not herself right now."

He clenched his teeth. "That's no excuse."

She raised her eyebrows. "Well, _for starters_ , _you_ tried that, too. And if I recall correctly, you have whatever you have left of your humanity still on."

His eyebrow twitched and he stared off into the crowd.

"But I didn't do it. I _spared_ you, Caroline. I spared _Tyler_ for you."

She laughed out dryly. "Yeah, right. _Spared_."

She looked away, too.

She sighed. Here she was, having this discussion with him, _again_.

He frowned and then a suave smile spread on his face. "I think I have some business to attend to."

She turned her head towards the direction he was looking at.

 _Hayley_.

Anger boiled up in her. "What's _she_ doing here?"

He smirked. "I don't know. But I suppose it has to do with a certain main objective of mine."

He took a step forward, then turned towards her, giving her a sinister smile while tilting his head.

"Well, then, I guess I'll see you around. Save me a dance."

"How about _no_."

He raised his shoulders in feigned defeat, then turned and walked off towards the wolf girl.

The girl who was responsible for Tyler having to leave town, again. No, _for good_.

She looked through the crowd. Elena was dancing with Rebekah's date. Damon and Stefan were arguing at the sidelines. She tuned into the conversation.

"Why can't you let her have a little fun? You don't know what happened in New York, if you try to control her, she'll play you." Damon.

"It's _not her_. We simply have to be smarter than her, Damon. We're a whole _team_ of people watching her every move. It can't be that hard."

"All I'm saying is that the more we try to control her, the more she will want to rebel against it."

She walked towards them, an angry glint in her eyes.

"How fucking stupid _are you guys_? You ask yourselves why she can play you so well? Maybe it's because _she can hear every fucking word you say_!"

They looked at her, dumbfounded for a moment.

"Then give me a solution, _Blondie_."

She shook her head. "Not tonight. Tonight that's your job. Tonight is _prom_. _My prom_."

Damon rolled his eyes, and Stefan smiled. Then he reached out and placed his hand on her arm.

"Well, how about I do my duty as your date and we share a dance."

She smiled brightly.

"How about we do that."

Stefan never failed to make her feel okay. Out of all of this mess, his friendship was the only decent thing that had come out of it. She wouldn't want to miss it, ever.

They stepped on the dance floor, positioned their hands and their feet and started dancing.

For the first time this night things felt okay.

She sighed and smiled.

"It's gonna be okay," she said. "In time."

He nodded and smiled back at her. "It always is."

They took a few steps and she looked around the room.

Matt was talking to _Rebekah_. She frowned.

"You were talking to Klaus."

She looked back at him. "Yeah, somehow he _still_ can't take a hint."

"He's got it pretty bad for you, doesn't he?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Seems so. Though I can't exactly say that I'm thrilled about it. I don't understand why he doesn't just _leave_."

Stefan licked his lips. "Maybe he will. I talked to Elijah. There's something going on in New Orleans that might call his attention."

Surprised, she frowned. "New Orleans?"

He raised his eyebrows as if to indicate that he was as clueless as her. "I don't know."

She bit her lip, pondering about it. "Maybe things will be better when he's gone. Maybe we can take care of Silas on our own."

Stefan frowned.

But Caroline shook her head, smiling.

"And then we'll find the cure, give it to Elena and all will be back to normal. Bonnie will recover in time, we _all_ will recover in time and-"

She was interrupted by loud screaming.

Instantly both of them let go of each other and turned towards the noise.

The distinctive smell of _blood_ filled the room.

The crowd parted, some people running away, some running closer.

In the middle of the dance floor lay the dead body of Rebekah's date.

* * *

Elena had vanished.

A worried looking Damon arrived moments later, Matt at his side.

"What happened?"

Her desperation turned to fury; she pointed her finger at him. " ** _You_** were supposed to **_look out for her_** **!** "

" ** _You_** were, too! How could you let this happen?"

" ** _YOU-_** " She halted, collecting herself. "What were you doing?"

"Bonnie's gone," Matt announced, his voice small. "I only left her alone for a moment. When I came back she'd suddenly vanished."

" ** _What?!_** " She paused again, collecting herself. "You mean you were busy talking to Rebekah."

He looked down guiltily.

"Okay, we need to find them, both of them."

Suddenly the puzzle pieces connected in her head. Sheer terror spread on her face. " _Oh my god_."

The others turned their heads towards her, worried looks on their faces.

" _She wants to turn her_. Earlier, Elena talked about _turning Bonnie_."

Their faces fell, a look of guilt spread on Damon's.

" _We have to find them_."

Suddenly the commotion around them made a way for the cops.

Her mother was here.

"Caroline, what happened?"

Quickly, she made a decision.

She moved closer and whispered, so none of the humans around could hear her.

"Elena killed that guy, now she's got Bonnie."

A look off horror spread on her mother's face. " _Elena_? Why would she do that?"

She looked away, making a decision. "Mom, she turned her humanity off."

Her mother frowned. "She did _what_?"

"Vampires can do that. I don't have time, mom. We need to find her."

Her mother nodded, still processing.

Caroline turned around, Damon and Matt had already gone.

"Where are they searching?" she asked Stefan.

"Outside." They started walking, fast.

"I'll go take a look at the girls' bathroom. You check the men's room and then the cellar. I'll take the other rooms."

He nodded and they parted ways.

Quickly, she opened the door to the bathroom. It was empty.

"Elena?" She checked the bathroom stalls – all empty.

She ran her hand through her hair and let out a desperate sigh. This couldn't be happening.

Suddenly the door opened, and someone came in.

She turned her head.

A _man_. A _man_ in the _girls' bathroom_.

"What kind of creeper are you? Are you too stupid to read a fucking _symbol_ on a _door_?"

He smirked, and for some reason chills went down her spine.

He was handsome and had an air about him that she only knew from _one person_.

This guy reminded her of Klaus.

"A creeper, huh? Another new word for my quickly growing vocabulary. Thank you."

She frowned.

Then she stalked towards the door past him. " **Get out**. I don't have time for this."

He chuckled, then suddenly lashed out and grabbed her neck, too fast for her to catch up with.

Then she felt her spine snapping and the world went black.

* * *

Groaning, she awoke. She was outside.

As quickly as she could, she forced herself into a sitting position.

Bonnie was sitting beside her, her gaze vacant.

"Bonnie!" She grasped her friends arms. "Are you okay?"

She didn't answer, didn't react at all but instead moved like a ragdoll in her hands.

Frantically, Caroline looked around.

The man was standing beside them, still smirking.

" **Who are you?** "

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh my, you really are a blonde, are you?"

What could she be missing? Her eyes widened. " _Silas_." Of course, it was right in her face.

He nodded but stayed silent.

He did _not_ remind her of Klaus anymore. He would be gloating right now, or giving some speech.

He turned his head towards her. "Oh, don't worry, _love_." A chill went down her spine. He used the word to tease her. "He'll be here soon enough."

She froze. He could read her thoughts.

"What have you done to Bonnie?"

He didn't answer; instead he looked to his right as if he was waiting for something. Or someone. Klaus.

What was he planning? Frantically, she searched her mind.

Okay, she was here to lure Klaus in. What did he need Klaus for? Why was Bonnie here?

He'd stabbed Klaus because he wanted the cure. Maybe Klaus had it now.

Maybe he needed Bonnie to break the spell and raise the dead.

He looked towards her appreciatively. "Not that much of a blonde, then. I think I get what he sees in you now."

He turned his head again and his smile spread. "Ah, there he is."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her up roughly.

Klaus appeared, assessing the situation. He looked furious.

" _Silas_."

He nodded, yanking her towards him.

"Let's skip the theatrics. I know you have the cure. You give it to me and you get the girl."

Klaus' face contorted in anger.

"You really think it's that easy?"

Silas pulled her in even farther, placing his hand right on her heart. Her breath hitched and she stared right into Klaus' eyes. Then suddenly his fingers dug into her skin, not deep but deep enough to hurt as hell. She screamed in terror.

" **Enough!** " Klaus screamed, his face contorted in anger. "Deal," he ground out through clenched teeth.

"I thought so." But he didn't remove his fingers. "But you give me the cure first."

Klaus reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out a small box.

Then he stepped forward, visibly shaking with anger, and held it out, offering it to him.

Silas took it, again too quickly for her to keep up with. Then, finally, he pulled out his fingers and she was pushed towards Klaus, who caught her and retreated backwards quickly.

Frantically, she turned towards him with wide eyes.

What were they going to do now? He looked back at her, his arms still placed protectively around her and a look of relief mixed with his fury. He looked at her reassuringly, just like he had when he had saved her from Alaric.

Then, suddenly, they were on the ground, contorting in the pain of aneurism.

Bonnie.

It had to be Bonnie.

Suddenly she started chanting something and the aneurism was gone, instead Caroline found herself immobile.

Fortunately she had a good view of the scene unfolding before her.

Silas lounged forward, a deformed stake in his hands, towards Klaus. She couldn't see what was happening. Had it been the rest of the white oak stake?

Panic rose in her chest. _No!_

Then Silas was back in front of Bonnie, staring at the open box in his hand.

She tried to take a look at Klaus but he was out of her view.

Bonnie chanted on and on. Suddenly blood started coming out of her nose.

She couldn't do anything, nothing at all. She'd have to watch this happen, literally immobile. In the back of her mind she realized that this was, had always been her worst fear.

No control, no control whatsoever.

Tears escaped her eyes and she was sure she'd been close to hyperventilating if she could only move.

Silas reached into the box. Bonnie was now bleeding from her ears, shaking visibly, screaming out chants.

This was going to kill her.

It was going to _kill her_.

Tears blurred her vision and she forced herself to stop crying. It was the only kind of control she had left.

Bonnie fell to her knees, still chanting despite the fact that she was obviously way out of breath. Blood was coming out of her eyes. _Her eyes_.

Suddenly, the scenery changed. A flash in front of Silas.

Rebekah.

Rebekah had her hands on the cure, the next moment they were in his mouth. Had she forced it down his throat? Then, she had his heart in her hand and he fell to the floor.

The spell was broken, she could move again.

Instantly she was on her feet, beside Bonnie.

She'd stopped chanting, she was slumped on the ground, motionless, her eyes vacant.

" **Bonnie!** " she screamed, frantically shaking her.

She stilled, unable to process the information.

Bonnie had no pulse.


	4. Prom Night 2

**Prom Night II**

 

Rebekah was staring at her hands, a look of disbelief on her face.

Caroline wondered why she even took notice of that. She was numb.

Strangely, she felt like she wasn’t actually there, as if she was watching from above.

Silas looked very human and very dead.

Klaus had a white oak stake in his chest, but since he wasn’t burning she was guessing he was only knocked out temporally. Maybe Silas had missed his heart.

She heard voices approaching. Stefan. Damon.

She turned her head towards them, still kneeling over Bonnie, her eyes wide.

Instantly, Stefan was at her side, his hands on her upper arms. “Caroline? Are you okay, what happened?”

She tried to form words but nothing came out.

He turned towards Bonnie, suddenly dread spread on his face. “ _Oh my god_.”

Caroline didn’t move. Here she was, immobile again.

Why didn’t she feel anything? Was this shock?

Suddenly fear struck through her. _Had she turned off her humanity_?

The thought opened the floodgates and suddenly the pain was rushing down on her, crushing her with so much force that she doubled over.

Tears spilled from her eyes and deformed sobs left her throat, her hands clinging to Bonnie’s dress, then her face, smearing her blood.

_‘This can’t be happening. This is not real. This can’t be happening. This is not real.’_

It was too much, too much, more than anything she’d ever experienced before.

Bonnie couldn’t be dead.

But she was, _she was_.

Gently, she was yanked off her dead friend. Stefan pulled her away and pulled her into a hug.

She sobbed into her chest, unable to protest. She didn’t even know whether she wanted to.

All she knew was the pain of grief, filling her up to the brim.

All her hope was crushed. Nothing mattered anymore.

She’d experienced this before, her father had died. But somehow this felt worse, maybe because she didn’t have time to prepare for it. She couldn’t even feel guilty about that.

Stefan led her inside.

Most of the people were gone and those that were left were talking with hushed voices and shock in their eyes.

Stefan brought her to a table and sat her down on a chair.

She sobbed into the tablecloth, unable to compose herself.

She stayed like this for some time until she felt as if she couldn’t even cry anymore.

Slowly, she came back to herself. She was shaking a little.

Stefan was sitting beside her, a worried expression on his face.

Finally, she could speak again.

“Rebekah gave Silas the cure and killed him,” she managed to press out, her voice dry.

Stefan nodded.

“You don’t have to talk.”

She stared onto the table, vacantly.

This was reality. The pain was unbearable, but somehow she did manage to keep herself together.

She moved a shaking hand to her hair and pulled out the pin.

Then she looked up at Stefan.

“Did you find Elena?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t know where she is. But don’t worry about that, we’re going to find her.”

She nodded, staring off vacantly again.

Suddenly tears rose up in her eyes again.

“ _How do we fix this_?” she whispered.

He looked down. “Maybe we can find a witch…”

She shook her head, suddenly undergoing a mood swing. She laughed dryly. “There is no way and you know it.”

He looked even more worried than before. Then he gently grabbed her hand and she looked up at him.

“You can sleep at our place tonight. I will get you through this, just like you helped me through the hunger. I’m not going to leave you. Never.”

Tears fell from her eyes and she nodded. Temporary relief spread in her chest. At least she was not going to be alone. She wouldn’t have been able to cope.

 _Bonnie_.

Suddenly his eyes widened, gaze fixed behind her.

“ _Caroline_ ,” he frowned. “You should turn around.”

She did as he told and her heart skipped a beat.

 _Tyler_.

Tyler, Tyler, _Tyler_.

Tyler was standing in the door, smiling brightly at her.

If Stefan hadn’t pointed it out to her she would have thought that she was hallucinating.

She jumped up, and ran towards him, not bothering that she knocked over the chair.

The smile on his face turned to a worried expression as she threw herself into his arms, sobbing frantically, again.

Instantly, his arms wrapped around her soothingly und pulled her in farther.

“Care, what happened?”

She shook her head against his shoulders, tears falling on his jacket. He was wearing a suit, as if he was prepared for prom.

 _Prom_.

 _Bonnie_.

She clung to the fabric on his chest and spent a few moments just crying while he rubbed her back in a comforting manner.

“Bonnie,” she finally whispered. “Bonnie is dead.”

He froze, then hugged her tighter.

“ _Oh my god_. What – how?”

“Silas.” Unable to say anything more, she continued crying.

She was glad he was here. He should have been all along. She had needed _him_ to comfort her, for all this time now. If Klaus only hadn’t-

Suddenly she pulled back in shock.

“Tyler, what are you doing here? Klaus will-“

He shook his head and a wide smile spread on his face again.

“Don’t worry. He is long gone by now.”

She frowned. What? Did he mean what happened outside? Had he seen him? Had he _killed_ him? But why hadn’t he seen Bonnie then?

“You won’t believe this story. Hayley is working with Katherine – I know this sounds strange but – she has the cure and she’s been getting friendly with Klaus. She and some of Katherine’s allies forced it down his throat and killed him.”

Her eyes widened again as realization dawned on her.

“ _You have to leave – now!_ ”

The smile left his face, replaced by puzzlement.

“What? Why?”

She pulled him away, out of the room, until he stopped her in the hallway.

“What’s going on Caroline?”

“ **There’s no time** -“

Abruptly she was interrupted by a flashing movement in front of her. Tyler screamed.

He was pinned against a wall.

Klaus was standing in front of him, his hand in Tyler’s chest. Around his heart.

‘ _Why do you give me hope only to take it away again?_ ’

The sight was almost surreal. The place where Klaus’ hand should have been was where Tyler’s chest was, it didn’t make any sense.

“No, no, no, no, _no, no, no, **no, NO!** **Let go of him!**_ ” She grabbed onto Klaus’ arm, desperately trying to get his attention. He didn’t even flinch; his hard gaze fixed on Tyler’s pained expression.

_‘What else am I supposed to do for you?’_

“ **I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!** ” she screamed, starting to sob frantically again. Her fingers dug into his arm, drawing blood, yanking at it with all her strength but she didn’t even manage to move it an inch.

“I was going to let you live,” Klaus stated, calmly, still staring down at Tyler.

_‘Shh… It’s okay. I’ve got you.’_

Then, suddenly, his hand moved.

She couldn’t look away.

It was like she was watching the scene in slow motion. Klaus hand left Tyler’s chest, painted in red, holding his heart. The blood was still pumping, she could even make out veins, some of which were still connected with Tyler’s body. Then his hand was farther out and they weren’t anymore.

She couldn’t believe that this was a real organ. It looked to her like it had to be a fake.

This couldn’t be a heart.

This _couldn’t be Tyler’s heart_.

Some of his blood had made its way to her fingers that had now sunk into the flesh of Klaus’ arm.

_‘Have I hurt you?’_

Tyler’s corpse fell to the floor, his face grey.

Klaus opened his hand, and Tyler’s heart joined him on the ground.

_‘Save me a dance’_

Klaus raised his other hand and gently but distinctively removed her fingers from his arm.

He didn’t even spare her as much as a glance.

Then he turned around and left.


	5. Prom Night 3

 

 

 

 

**Prom Night III**

She vomited on the floor.

Her vision was blurry, but there were no tears.

She didn't have any tears anymore.

The whole idea of crying seemed like a joke now.

_Turn it off_.

Maybe she should.

She cringed on the floor, dragging her hair through the blood and bile. She didn't care.

The pain was so overwhelming that she couldn't even think.

Then, suddenly, she was outside, still crouching on the ground. She didn't even remember getting there, but since no one else was around, she'd probably gotten here by herself.

It should have frightened her, but then again, nothing frightened her anymore. She was incapable of any emotion but pain.

_Tyler_. _Bonnie_.

It felt like someone had ripped out half of her and left her to bleed to death alone.

She was shaking heavily, but she got up on her knees.

With vacant eyes, vision still blurry she stared down at herself.

Her dress was ruined, ripped in places.

And there was blood, blood everywhere.

Her own blood on her left breast, soaking the fabric of the dress.

The blood from the blood bag she'd fed on earlier on her hair.

Klaus blood soaking her fingers. _Tyler's_ blood on her hands.

_Bonnie's_ _blood, too._

She was in shock again, the pain having turned into a numb sensation. Watching herself from above.

She knew that she hadn't turned it off, this was a human reaction.

Strangely, she was glad.

She couldn't turn it off. She couldn't turn into Elena.

She had to stay strong. For Tyler, for Bonnie.

For once she was happy that the supernatural existed. She wasn't left with the uncertainty of death (she had never been sure of god). She knew that both somewhere Bonnie and Tyler still existed. They were watching. And if she died she would be where they were.

She was aware that this wouldn't last for long, soon enough the pain would catch up with her again.

She would use this moment of clarity.

She couldn't turn it off. She wouldn't.

_'_ _Because it's not like you.'_

Shakily getting up on her legs she swore to herself that she wouldn't turn it off, _never_ , _no matter what was to come_.

In the long run she would be able to cope.

She wouldn't spoil the memory of the people she loved by turning into a monster.

She watched herself take steps forward. She didn't even feel her legs.

She didn't know if she really moved that slowly or if she was seeing things in slow motion.

When she arrived around the corner and people started screaming and running around frantically, she realized it was the former.

Why were they screaming?

" **Calm down everybody!** "

A familiar voice. Her mother.

Suddenly Liz noticed her, her eyes widening. She ran towards her while everyone else scattered.

That's right. They were screaming because of her.

She was covered in blood after all.

Her mother grabbed her upper arms. She was almost hysteric, a look she hadn't seen on her face. Ever. " **Caroline!** Are you okay? What happened?!"

"Tyler and Bonnie are dead," she heard herself say.

Her mother pulled her into a hug but she didn't respond.

Instead she watched what was happening around her.

People were forming groups, some of them were crying. Yes, that must have been pretty traumatic, a dead body on the dance floor. She wasn't even being sarcastic.

They were innocent people, after all. Humans.

People that were supposed to be protected from all of this madness and misery.

She wondered what they knew about Bonnie and Tyler. Maybe their bodies had been found already.

Maybe Damon had taken care of Bonnie.

Her mother freed her from the embrace, holding her by her arms again.

" _Caroline_?"

Then she took her daughters hand and pulled her away from the commotion, back around the corner again. Liz was a woman of action, just like her daughter.

They were actually pretty similar. It was something she had known for a long time.

But it was now that she could appreciate it for the first time.

She never had been exactly motherly, but right now she was and she pulled her daughter into the building, towards the bathroom.

She probably thought that somewhere inside of her there was still some part that cared about her appearance. It would mean there was a part distinctively Caroline inside her.

Sadly, there wasn't.

Being rushed through the hall she saw a misplaced decoration. Immediately she halted and pulled her arm free, turning to fix it.

She could see the irony of all this. But she couldn't stop it.

" **Jeez** , what happened to you? You look like **shit!** "

Elena.

She saw herself turning her head towards her.

Her friend sauntered towards her.

"Did Silas bathe you in blood or what?"

"Elena, this is **not** the time!" Liz growled, trying to take hold of Caroline again.

She didn't move, even though her mother tried to drag her away. Instead she stared at Elena, her eyes vacant.

Elena, Bonnie, Caroline. Best friends, that's how it had always been. Now all that was left were the two of them.

"Bonnie's gone."

Elena nodded. "I know. I _told_ you we should have turned her. Would have spared us the whole Silas-business."

Caroline stared at her.

This couldn't be Elena. Elena would break out in tears.

Wait, right, she had turned off her humanity.

"Tyler's gone, too." Her voice sounded hollow and emotionless, as if it wasn't she herself speaking.

Surprise spread on Elena's face.

"Well, _that's_ news." Then she frowned. "Wait- why aren't you wailing on the ground?"

Suddenly, excitement appeared in her features. "You didn't turn it off, did you?"

She shook her head. "No."

"She's in **shock**. Now, if you excuse us, Elena. If this wasn't happening right now I would be **locking you up** for that horrendous crime you committed earlier." Liz tried to drag Caroline with her again, but failed.

" **Shut up, Liz**. I don't even know what makes you think you have any right to talk. You are a helpless, weak _human_. I could break your neck in less than a second."

Liz froze, realizing exactly what kind of danger she was in.

"You wouldn't do that to Caroline."

Elena laughed, placing her hands on her hips. "Is that so? I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."

She turned to Caroline again, a slightly angry expression on her face.

"Why haven't you turned it off yet?"

She wanted to answer but no words came out.

Elena took a step closer.

"You should turn it off, you know. It makes it all bearable."

She shook her head. "No."

Suddenly, Elena was almost snarling. "You think you're stronger than me, do you? You think you can survive this while I can't? You think you can make it through keeping your emotions?"

Her vision became blurry again.

"The _perfect little princess Caroline_ , isn't that it? Excelling at everything, even at being a vampire. But deep down inside you're nothing but an _insecure, neurotic little_ _ **bitch!**_ "

Elena grabbed her upper arms.

" ** _You are not better than me._** **Turn it off!** "

The screaming turned a switch in her – but it wasn't her humanity switch.

Suddenly, the pain crushed down on her again..

_Tyler's heart in Klaus hand._ _The veins. Blood in Bonnie's eyes._

She chocked, feeling like vomiting again, but there was nothing left to throw up. Instead a curtain of tears was blurring her vision again.

" **Turn it off!** "

Liz was dragging at Elena's arm. " **Let go of her!** "

Caroline let out a strangled sob.

The screaming came down on her like a ton of bricks, assaulting her senses. She was reduced to absolute vulnerability.

Through the endless stream of water she could she a frantic, almost insane look on Elena's face. " **Turn it off NOW!** "

"No!"

Elena started shaking her. It almost felt good.

" **Turn it off!** "

She couldn't even shake her head. " **NO!** "

" **LET GO OF HER!** " Liz was violently yanking on Elena's arm now.

She was ignoring her.

" **TURN IT OFF NOW!** "

" **NO! NO! No! No, no, no, no ,no** , no, no, no…" Her knees gave in and Elena let go of her.

She collapsed on the floor, sobs wracking her body.

"No. I **can't**. No. No."

Elena looked down at her, a calculating glance in her eyes.

"Well," she said, annoyance in her voice. "I guess it's the hard way then."

A moment later a noise broke the silence.

Caroline's memory told her that it was the sound of a neck breaking.

Using energy she didn't have she pressed herself up on her arms.

Beside her lay the corpse of her mother, her neck twisted in a way that almost looked surreal to her. Human anatomy didn't work that way. A sense of déjà vue overcame her.

"How about now?" Elena asked.

_Away from this place_.

An instant later Caroline was out of the door, out of the building, out in the woods.

She didn't even know why.

She broke down to the ground again, starting to recite the words she'd heard Elena say, just weeks ago.

" _I can't. I can't. Just STOP it. I can't."_


	6. The Sacrifice

 

 

**5\. The sacrifice**

She had expected an emptiness, a vacuum in her chest, a hollow presence filling up the space that had once contained her humanity. Instead she felt a calm sense of contentment, similar yet intriguingly different from happiness. An ultimate idea of self-confidence – she knew exactly who she was, what she could do and how to do it. Her mind was clear and sharp. Rather than missing a part of herself, she felt like everything else that was her had expanded and taken its place.

Life was a game, a very complicated one, in fact so complicated that a full understanding of the rules exceeded the human perception. But she wasn't human anymore.

She knew exactly what her set of cards was. Better yet, she knew that she could read anyone else's, too. And in ninety-nine percent of cases she was the superior player.

She didn't have to hold back anymore, in no way whatsoever.

She was free.

She could feel, wish and do whatever she wanted.

And _want_ she did. Many, many things – enough to fill an eternity.

Most of which had been unimaginable up until now.

Along with all this there came a certainty, an objective. Her now liberated free will, an insight of the rules of the game and maybe even a personal preference of beauty, symmetry met at the now revealed core of her being and formed some kind of destiny path for her to walk.

But it was no higher force, no god, no spirits that led her way – no, this was all her and she was a force to be reckoned with.

Everything, even what she was about to do now, could change in the glimpse of a second, be rendered meaningless by the simple shift of a detail.

Because that was the truth to the rules of the game, they were temporary.

Stability was an illusion. Some things were more durable than others – the central parts of who a person was, social statistics, human nature – but even those could be destroyed or deformed beyond recognition.

She had always strived for stability. Now she knew the only constant was herself.

All she had to do was identify the current state of game, adapt to it where she had to and bend it, mold it to her will.

She had her own, personal ritual to fulfill.

She had always loved rituals. She had indulged in the enjoyment brought by exceeding at planning and organizing. Charities, school events, class, her appearance, being a queen B, being a caregiver – being an empathic vampire.

But now child play was over.

She would step out of the light, out of the grey, straight into the dark.

When she arrived at the hall everything was abandoned. The lights were still on and the place had an eerie sense of sanctity about it.

Elena was still sitting in the dance room, a bottle of alcohol at her side.

When Caroline arrived, she rose to her feet and smiled at her.

She returned the smile and approached her.

"You were right."

Elena laughed, a look of pure excitement on her face.

"I _knew_ it. It's perfect, right?"

Caroline nodded. "It is."

She walked over to the table on which she'd left her purse. She opened it and took out her cell phone.

"Where are Damon and Stefan?"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know. Probably still searching the whole town for me. They were here earlier, but I made sure they didn't see me."

Caroline gave her friend a suggestive smile. "How about we let them search a little longer?"

Elena laughed again, apparently very happy with her new accomplice.

Caroline dialed Stefan's number.

He picked up immediately. Raising her index finger in a silencing motion, she feigned a strained and broken tone of voice.

"Caroline? Where are you? Are you okay? I've tried calling you a thousand times."

She let out a sob. "I'm okay."

Both girls grinned at each other.

"It's… Elena. She doesn't know I'm calling, but I found her. We're- We're on the road. She's driving south but right now we stopped and she-" She sobbed again, taking a moment to accentuate her supposed pain. "She stopped and she's feeding on someone right now. And I can't take it anymore. Stefan, you have to help me."

"I'll call Damon. We're coming."

Caroline gave Elena a pointed look, motioning for her to take the phone.

Luckily Elena was smart enough to understand her intentions.

Elena grabbed the phone. "No!" Caroline made her best efforts to put as much desperation into her voice as possible.

"Well, guess who's been going behind my back," Elena spoke into the phone. "I suppose there's going to be a change of plans then. Good luck finding us."

Then she hung up and both girls broke out in laughter.

Caroline took the now furiously ringing cell phone from Elena and switched it to mute.

"How about we have our own private little prom, then?"

Elena nodded and offered Caroline the bottle.

She took it and downed a huge slug.

Elena sauntered over to the stereo and turned it on, music blasting from the speakers.

Caroline opened her arms and laughed again.

Both of the girls started dancing.

"You look _terrible_!" Elena remarked.

"Oh, I _know_. Maybe we'll have to grant a visit to the vervein-free Salvatore bathrooms later."

Elena moved towards the corpse of Caroline's mother.

"You know, maybe I actually like the touch of blood you gave to your outfit."

Caroline raised her eyebrows suggestively and followed.

Elena grabbed Liz' shoulders, pushed her upwards into her lap and in one swift, inhumanly fast motion buried her fangs in her neck.

She was making a mess, not bothering to keep the blood off her face.

Maybe this was supposed to shock her, to test her, but all it did was give her further insight into the settings of the situation life had graciously granted her.

Elena stood up and Caroline gave her assuring, wicked smile.

"Ugh, dead," she remarked and started dancing again.

Caroline joined her, handing her the bottle. "Maybe we could actually do a road trip later. Find some vervein free village. Travel."

Elena nodded. "How about Europe?"

Suddenly Caroline burst out in laughter. " _Rome, Paris,_ _ **Tokyo**_!"

Elena raised her eyebrows. "What about that?"

Caroline shrugged, mirth in her eyes. "Klaus wanted to take me."

Suddenly, Elena's interest was piqued. She flashed to the stereo and turned it down a little.

"Now, Care. You _have_ to tell me about it. I was right, wasn't I? You want to fuck him, do you?"

Caroline smiled widely and laughed, twirling around. "Oh, _YES_ , I _do_!"

Elena grinned smugly, obviously proud of her insight.

"You know. I was right. You're _so_ much more fun than Rebekah. I'm glad I did it. We're gonna have _so much fun_ – and we're free. We don't have to care about Damon and Stefan anymore."

She stepped forward and licked her lips. "They're pretty easy to trick, actually."

Caroline nodded, smiling. "I know. Every plan they ever have goes absolutely wrong. They're decision making skills are a disaster. I'm impressed with the fact that they're still alive."

Elena dropped herself to the floor and took another slug of her drink.

"But they're _hot_."

Caroline sat down beside her, shrugging. "Klaus is _hotter_."

Elena turned her head, almost a little surprised but giddy with excitement. "You really got it bad for him, do you?"

Caroline grabbed the drink from Elena's hands and shook her head, laughing. "No. _He's_ got it bad for _me_. I don't care about anything anymore. But I have to say – I can't wait to tap that ass."

Elena nodded appreciatively while Caroline took a slug.

"That's the spirit. I'm so glad you're over yourself, Care. Your stupid, annoying self-righteous humanity-bullshit drove me _insane_."

Elena raised her eyebrows. "I can say the same about you."

Elena shrugged, then nodded. "Guess so. It's really better this way. Too bad Bonnie can't be with us."

Caroline drank again and stared off into the room. "She'd have been a _fabulous_ vampire. The whole witch-business was doing nothing but damage to her, anyway. Fuck the spirits."

Elena laughed, leaning forward, took the bottle and took a huge swig. " ** _Fuck the spirits!_** "

Caroline smiled a calm smile.

When Elena put down the bottle with a thud, Caroline grabbed both of her arms with one hand and locked them behind her back, pushing her forward. Her other arm was wrapped around Elena's neck, holding her in a headlock. She had her pinned, she was stronger, and there was no way to escape. Elena struggled against her grip but failed.

" **What the fuck, Care! I'm gonna kick your ass for this!** "

Caroline placed her lips near Elena's left ear, making sure she couldn't move her head by grasping her chin tightly.

"How about we see what the spirits think about your attitude in afterlife?"

Elena froze.

"The fact that you didn't see this coming is just another piece of evidence pointing out just how _stupid_ you are. Not that I needed any."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Seriously, Elena. Tell me – you always thought you were better than me, did you?"

Elena let out a dry laugh, struggling against her grip again. No chance, she was a multitasker.

"Because I _am_."

She tightened her grip.

"And that's where you're wrong. You know, for the longest of times, I thought so, too. You were always the center of attention, inherently good but self-confident. Everyone always picked _you_ over _me_."

"You think I don't know that? You think I don't know what an insecure, neurotic **bitch** you are? I told you and I mean it! ' _I need to look perfect. This_ _ **piece of decoration**_ _is not in place, I need to fix it or the world will collapse'_." She snickered.

Caroline laughed, too, then leaned in farther again.

"Right. But then _things happened_. And surprisingly, I walked out of each and every single catastrophe stronger than before. And what did _you_ do? You went right down the drain, spiraling out of control until you _couldn't take it anymore_. You know, when I turned, I was alone. I didn't even know what was happening to me. I _mastered compulsion the night I was turned without even knowing what it was_." She lowered her hand towards Elena's throat and gripped it tightly, keeping her from making a sound. She choked and struggled again with more force but failed.

"Bonnie hated me. Damon tried to kill me. _My own parents_ hated me."

Elena didn't stop struggling but Caroline's grip was as hard as steel.

"You, you had everyone around you accepting what you were. You had three vampires to help you and a witch. A _brother_." Her smile brightened. "But you messed it up. Because you wanted that fucking stupid _cure_ , he died. You had _no problem_ committing _genocide_ to get it. And you want to tell me you were _selfless_?" She laughed out loudly.

"Damon abused me, fed on me, tried to kill me _twice_ and _you think I am a bad friend for disagreeing with your relationship with him_?! You even _MAKE FUN OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?_ " She put controlled pressure on Elena's wrists, breaking bone. Elena let out a strangled wail.

"You wanted to be a writer, right? Now, let me tell you something. Nobody wants to read your shit. You're _dull_. And that is, what I found out. That's your secret.

It's always the smart people that suffer. Always the intelligent ones that doubt themselves. And your self-confidence? It comes from a place of **ignorance**."

"I however, know exactly who I am and what I can do. I **am** better than you. I've always been. But even when I started to realize that I was too kind to show it to you, and I took your shit. I always took _everyone's_ shit but now I'm done with that. And do you know why I did it? Do you know why I made my place under your thumb? _Because I was too fucking good at humanity, too_. It took the three people I love the most to _die in one night_ in order for me to turn off my humanity."

She transformed into her vampire face and brought her hand back up to Elena's chin, holding her jaw shut in place.

"Do you know why I'm telling you all this? Because you are my stepping stone, the thing I need to kill in order to move on and fulfill my potential. I will leave all this behind with you, I don't need it anymore. I don't need _anything_ anymore."

Without warning she bit down on her neck, hard. Elena struggled against her grip again, ferociously but she didn't stand a chance. Caroline drained her, mercilessly, until she nearly lost her consciousness.

"Thank you, prom night was _just wonderful_ ," she whispered into her ear, smearing blood on her cheek.

She released her head and Elena fell forward like a ragdoll, only held halfway upright by the grip on her wrists.

"Goodbye, Elena," she whispered, then she placed her hand under her left shoulder blade and forced it inside, through her rip cage, until her searching fingers found the frantically beating heart. She ripped it out, watching her hand leave the hole in Elena's back, that wouldn't heal now, not anymore.

Mesmerized she stared at it – it had almost been too easy.

This was how it felt to rip out a heart.

A rush of power overcame her, satisfaction.

She looked down at Elena's mutilated body, the wound on her neck hadn't had enough time to heal.

Unceremoniously, she dropped the heart down beside it.

Then she turned around, grabbed her purse and, without sparing anything in the room a second glance, left.

New Orleans, it was.


	7. Roadtrip

**6\. Roadtrip**

Back at home she took a few water bottles into the shower and washed off the dirt and the blood. There was still vervein in the water. She changed into dark jeans, knee-high light boots and a lacey top, then she curled her hair to perfection and applied some dark makeup and red lipstick.

Next she packed up everything she needed, taking as little as possible. Her curling iron, most of her makeup, bathroom necessities, the money her mother kept in her nightstand drawer, a shovel for future body disposal purposes. As for clothes, she left behind most of the new style of tops she had recently taken a liking to, which screamed innocence and 'nice girl'. Instead she went for the more showy and suggestive stuff, even pulling out things she'd bought but never worn before. They had been meant for a special occasion with Tyler that never came. When she was done packing she took her bags into her car and decided to send the Salvatores a message.

She opened the cabinet in which the Forbes family kept its alcohol. She took out a few bottles of wine that her mother used to drink alone at the rare instance that she had a night off and relaxed on the sofa. Only a few months ago Caroline had started to take a seat beside her and the both of them actually had some mother-daughter-time. She also took out a bottle of Tequila that was already open. She had kept it for a special occasion, too. She started spilling it all over the house, being particularly thorough in her own bedroom.

The prospect of what she was about to do filled her with excitement. She had already had her taste of the beauty of destroying something once dear to her when she had ended Elena. It was an ecstatic sensation; it created a feeling of power, of independence. It reminded her of the change itself, it was as if the part that was gone, destroyed, obliterated created a space that allowed the rest of her to grow bigger. She stood in the contrast of what she had lost and chuckled. No, the grey was gone, but this time she was in the black instead of the light.

She got a lighter and looked around her room, deciding where she should start.

A smile spread on her face when another piece of the puzzle slid right into place.

She opened her nightstand drawer, took out the picture Klaus had drawn for her and lit it on fire. Mesmerized she watched it burn and then let it fall, right into the pool of alcohol on her bed.

For a moment she watched the fire spread. Her bed was a pool of fire, it burned and sizzled and she felt the dangerous heat radiating onto her skin. She hadn't known fire actually made noises like that.

It made its way through the room, an unstoppable force of nature, and claimed her wardrobe, her vanity, her desk. Along with that it burned every memorabilia, all her school work, every document she kept about the countless committees and charities she had put so much work in. Tyler's bracelet, her scrapbooks with photos of her time with Bonnie and Elena in it, the crown Elena had put on her head on her birthday, Klaus' dress, her mobile phone, the little presents she had kept in memory of her father.

It meant nothing to her. In fact, by burning it, in some way she _made_ it important. For a fleeting moment all of it lived again, screaming with the voice of the flame, turning into red and orange and blue and finally smoke until it would be ultimately and irrevocably gone.

She stood engulfed in the beauty of transience, mortality, enforcing the reality that she herself was none of these things.

Then she turned around and left the house and drove off.

* * *

It was two a clock in the morning now. A few towns away she stopped at the side of the road, got out of her car and waited for someone to drive by. She hid behind her car, invisible to anybody passing by, watching.

She only had to do so for a few moments, then she was lucky. A black Toyota drove towards her, about one or two years old, she estimated. Seemed to be in good condition.

There was a man behind the wheel. She wanted to find out who he was, easy to read or maybe even a tad bit interesting.

She stepped out from behind her car and waved, a slightly desperate expression painting her face.

He stopped, parking a few meters away from her. He got out of his car. She smiled an exhausted smile, keeping her body language that of a damsel in distress.

"Thank you so much. My car broke and I don't know how to get home."

He returned the smile and approached her. The way he walked suggested he was nothing special. "No problem, I could take a look at it if you don't mind."

He was middle aged with dark hair, average looking and obviously not too unhappy with the prospect of helping a pretty blonde little thing. He wasn't a predator though, she could see it in his eyes and in the way he carried himself. Maybe he was just a loser with some brain hidden behind the façade of boring. She noticed a pack of Marlboros in the pocket of his jacket.

Suddenly he turned towards her, his eyebrow hitched.

"You shouldn't be out alone that late, you know? It's dangerous."

Well, wasn't that a nice little invitation. Not yet, though.

She ignored his words (always a good trick, turns the person you're talking to into an unnerved wreck if you do it often enough). Instead she nodded her head into the direction of the cigarettes, leaning back on the car.

"Can I have one?"

He frowned, then nodded, taking out the packet and pulling out two cigarettes. He handed her one and then leaned in to light it. Slowly she raised the cigarette to her mouth, parting her lips sensually as she put it in her mouth. Then the lighter went on and she stared down at the fire as it started to burn.

She'd smoked before, once.

Now she was a vampire, it couldn't kill her. She frowned, wondering why she hadn't had that idea before then took a deep breath of the smoke, sliding down to the ground, leaning her head back on the car.

He was watching her and his gaze almost tickled her skin as she let the smoke hover out of her mouth. Beautiful.

He was a chicken. She could read it in the way he moved, in his eyes. When confronted with a challenge he'd back out and leave the job to others.

"What's your job?" she asked, turning her head upwards to him, still leaning on the side of the car.

He sat down beside her, frowning, keeping his distance.

"I study, actually. Medicine."

So he _was_ smart. At least chances were higher. Yes, she'd have cracked him soon.

"Why?" she asked, taking another drag of the cigarette.

He lighted one for himself.

"I want to help people," he answered.

It seemed genuine. Still, she needed to test him. "Oh come on," she grinned. "You just want the money?"

He shook his head. "No, really. Maybe I'll go to Africa or something."

She took another drag of the cigarette.

"And you think they deserved to be helped. People, I mean."

He frowned. "Of course, I mean… "

She laughed. "Sometimes I think all of human kind is fucked up. I mean, look at the world we live in. We all stay in our own personal bubbles to be able to stand it."

He looked at her, impressed. Ugh. Okay. Not that smart then. He'd fall for the whole teenage-angst thingy.

"Yes, but I think beyond that there definitely is something good. Something we all have in common. I want to help people find that."

Cracked.

Boring as hell. She could tell somewhere behind the façade of humbleness he thought of himself as being pretty deep. And he was anything but.

She took another final drag of the cigarette.

"You know," she said, leaning back into the car again. "You're a disappointment."

She saw the shock spread on his face, followed by anger. "What?"

"You're a fucking dimwit. The world is better off without you," she said, her tone icy.

He was overwhelmed, obviously angry but too chicken to do anything about it.

"So easy to read," she sighed, shaking her head.

Then, one second to the next she pressed the cigarette butt onto his hand, holding it in an iron grasp. He screamed out in pain, trying to rip his hand from her grasp but it was hopeless.

She smiled, watching him squirm. " **What the fuck**!" he shouted and she simply cocked her head to the sight, feigning an expression of innocence.

"Something the matter, dude? How about that nice bubbly good we have in common, in the center of our being. Seriously, you think you're deep? You're a fucking potato."

He stared down at her hands, shocked. He tried to comprehend how she could possibly be physically stronger than him.

She kept the sweetest smile on her face as she let the blood rush to her eyes and slightly opened her mouth to let him see her budding fangs.

Horror painted his face. It was a rush, really. Before every cell in her body would have told her to stop. When she still had had her emotions. Because she would have been afraid of his reaction. Because she wouldn't have wanted to hurt him.

Now there was nothing, a comfortable emptiness that quickly filled with the excitement of seeing it in his eyes, the fact that he still couldn't accept or believe the fact that he was going to die. She held it in his hands, this life, and she knew what went through his mind.

She knew he put all he had in it, every ounce of energy, adrenaline, supposed intelligence, his whole body was working full force to keep him alive.

And yet, he would die. This whole little universe before her was gonna be erased from the surface of this world just because she wanted it to be.

Then, abruptly, her fangs were buried in his neck and she was sucking viciously and mercilessly. He let out a strangled scream and she could picture the expression on his face as she drained the life out of him. _No, keep conscious_. She remembered. She remembered it vividly. And for some perverse reason it made it so much better.

He was out in a few seconds. Swiftly she pulled away, changed her face back and broke his neck in one clean motion.

He was lying on the ground, the cigarette falling out of the grasp of his limp fingers.

"You know, I could have compelled you to be happy for the rest of your life," she purred.

She placed his body and the cigarette butts in the trunk of her car, put her bags into his and drove her own car deep into the woods, ensuring it wouldn't be found anytime soon. She took out the money, the cigarettes and the lighter from his purse and buried his body a few miles away from her car.

Then she rushed back to the car that was now hers and drove on.

She stopped in the next town at a bank and withdrew as much money as she could from both her own and her mother's account. Afterwards she threw away the credit cards, her phone had burned with her house – she needed to cover her tracks. She turned on the music she'd brought into the car, lit herself another cigarette and started driving again. She wouldn't stop until she reached New Orleans.

* * *

When she arrived morning broke.

Her old self would have ignored the fact that driving that long bored her, would have put it back in place with all the other things she suppressed. Now she was just slightly pissed. As pissed as her general lack of emotion allowed. She wanted to make another kill. In fact she'd had it planned since the moment she'd turned it off.

She parked near the French quarter and went straight into a bar.

It was almost empty, dark and small. It gave about an air of quiet desperation, only the ones who didn't have anywhere else to go to went here.

She saw the heads turning when she walked in and strangely enough, she didn't care at all. Back when she had her emotions on she'd feel giddy and excited about that in secrecy but right now there didn't seem to be anyone in the room worth giving a damn about.

There was one guy, however, who didn't seem that unattractive. She stopped and looked him up and down. He had dark, disheveled hair and was dressed in a black chemise and a pair of black jeans as well as some rather expensive looking shoes. He was sulking over his drink.

He had high cheekbones and greenish eyes. He reminded her of Damon.

Good enough.

She walked towards him, a bright smile on her face, and sat down beside him.

He raised his head and she saw a flicker of surprise and then appreciation in his eyes as he checked her out. He tried to hide it.

She checked, she could hear a heartbeat.

"Hi," he said, cocking up his eyebrows, obviously expecting her to explain herself.

Not that much of a chicken this time.

She cocked her head to the side, smiling at him. Then her pupils dilated.

"How do you live? A house, an apartment?"

His eyes had gone vacant instantly. "I have an apartment."

"Do you live alone?"

"Yes."

Good. "Is there any chance of anyone coming by today?"

"No."

Basic requirements were met. She thought for a moment.

"Are you gay?"

"No."

"Are you good in bed?"

"I've been told so, yes."

She reached for his drink, not breaking the compulsion as she took a sip.

"Tell me the deepest thing you can think of. Tell me about yourself."

"Happiness is a choice. I know – sounds stupid, but I've been there. Hell, I am there. Except if you're like clinically depressed, you know, I guess it comes down to pills then. But for the rest of the people there comes a point in life where you have to choose the world or yourself. Most nice people choose the world. All the assholes choose themselves. You get to be happy if you're an ass and I've tried but I just can't do it. Threw away my career, broke up with my girlfriend, fucked with my family until they sent me to hell – I did it all. Even drugs don't work. The alcohol just makes me upset and still I try and try again. Shit is fucked up. But I know I'm gonna get out eventually. I'm not gonna let them win."

She raised her eyebrows. She could see exactly at which point he was stuck, which words he needed to hear to get him out of there, how to present them to him so that they hit home.

She wouldn't even have to compel him.

She drank out his glass in one huge gulp and then compelled him again.

"You're gonna take me to your apartment now and then we'll see if the girls lied to you in order to make you feel good about yourself."

* * *

He had a small but cozy place and he was obviously very messy. Beneath the superficial disorder though, there was a structure. He had once had this room cleaned up, every little thing placed in its own personal spot. She saw books on the floor, philosophy, literature, dark stuff. Comics, underwear, notebooks.

He placed her luggage in the living room. She grabbed his collar and ripped his head towards hers, her pupils dilating again. "You're gonna have a shower now."

When he was gone she fixed herself a small meal and then left the dishes in the sink.

It felt good to be rid of that neurotic cleanliness complex. A day ago she would have been all over the place, cleaning. A day ago she wouldn't have been here, at all.

When she had eaten she took of her shoes and lay down on the bed, crossing her feet in a comfortable position.

He returned and looked at her, frowning, as if he wasn't sure how she'd gotten there.

"Come here," she answered, motioning for him to sit down beside her.

"What you don't see is that you can choose the people you spend your time with. It's a common mistake, you judge the whole world from what you personally experienced. There are people out there that fit your needs perfectly, good people that have still managed to choose themselves over the world. You just have to find them and you can be who you want to be. You're not lost, you're on the right way. You just have a little of the way left to go. The worst is behind you."

She leant forward, he was staring at her eyes wide and brows furrowed. She smiled.

"Let in the emptiness, it's the only way to _feel_ again."

He gulped, brows furrowing even more, obviously thinking about what to possibly answer her.

 _You think you know me. You don't have any idea, marching in like this and trying to tell me what to do_.

But if she disappeared right after, she would remain the mysterious angel that made him see the light. Because it would stick to his brain like gum, like sand in the clockwork, slowly being worked through the system until it came out again, as a realization, an epiphany.

Then, her face hardened and her pupils dilated again, catching his.

"Undress."

She watched him and then, quickly, before he was done, undressed herself in vampire speed.

He looked at her, shock in his eyes. He was really helpless, it amused her so much that she let out a giggle, her pupils dilating again.

"You're going to fuck me now. As good as you can. No kissing. You won't stop when I bite you."

He moved towards the bed, suspicion and a hint of terror in his eyes. He knew something was wrong but he couldn't quite grasp it. It was hilarious to watch.

He crawled on top of her, his breath heavy as his eyes revealed the battle he was fighting inside.

Then he entered her and she moaned slightly, enjoying the feeling.

He started moving, first slow and sensually, then faster and harder.

It was okay, although not really all that awe inspiring. _Humans_.

So after a while of lying back and thinking of England she simply turned them around and did the job herself. He did his best to take up with her, his eyes now clouded by lust. Yet she could still see the confusion in them. He was a fighter. She liked that.

But unfortunately not really that good in bed.

She rolled her eyes and lowered her hand between them, stroking herself.

Then she licked her lips, closed her eyes.

She remembered the sex she'd had with Tyler, it had been good sex, fueled by their supernatural hormones, wild and untamed. But somehow he'd started to bore her in the end. Thankfully most of the time they'd been busy missing each other because they had to be apart, but when he'd been there it had slowly turned into a disappointment.

She thought of Klaus. She'd seen him shirtless back then, and sweaty. She could vividly remember his scent, hanging in the air. _The taste of his blood._ Better than anything she'd tasted before.

The way he spoke, the way he moved. Yes, he'd be good in bed.

She tried to imagine it and let out a moan.

It was liberating, really, after all that time of denying herself. She laughed.

She'd break him, too. She knew how. She'd break the unbreakable man and have him kneel down at her heels. But no matter what she would do, there would always be defiance in his eyes, untamed anger, and intimidating air hanging around him.

And she loved it, loved his darkness, his ruthlessness, his sharp tongue and his merciless voice.

The way he'd looked at Tyler when he'd refused to heal her, despite everything that Tyler offered. It made her body tingle in anticipation.

She felt herself coming and she leaned in and in one swift gesture she buried her fangs in his neck, feeling the high rush over her double time as she sucked him dry until he stopped moving. He didn't scream, he growled. There was something likeable in him, he was an interesting guy.

 _Kill the light_.

Then she rolled to the side, taking a moment to come down her high, grabbing the packet of cigarettes she'd placed nearby and lighted it while licking the excess blood off her lips.

"Well, that was lame," she sighed, pushing him down the bed and onto the ground in one swift motion.

He lay there, barely conscious.

"How about you lie there and die a bit while I take a shower?" she asked him rhetorically, taking a drag.

A rattle came out of his throat that could roughly be interpreted as 'bitch'.

She smiled. "I see, you got the whole choosing who you hang out with thingy. Too bad you don't always have a choice." She turned towards him, staring down at him innocently.

Despite the state he was in, the fire was still vividly burning in his eyes that were about to fall shut.

"You're going to die," she said, her voice matter-of-factly.

She could see it in his eyes, the realization of what her words meant.

One second it looked as if he was pleading but then his eyes hardened again and she could see the hatred in him. She smiled.

"You see, being an asshole isn't all that hard."

Then her hand reached off the bed, to his head, and in one swift motion she broke his neck.

Then she went to her bags, took out her bathroom equipment and took a long, hot shower.

Then she went back to bed and fell asleep immediately. It had been a long night.


	8. The Real Party 1

**The real party**

Lanterns illuminated Bourbon street, painted it in a warm yellow light. The night air was warm and full of the enticing scent of blood pumping through the veins of all the people crowding it. It was all a big party. There were little shops, bars, life music out in the open. People drank and smoked and laughed.

It was beautiful. Caroline took in every ounce of it, imprinting it in her memory.

She'd never really been anywhere before and she had always appreciated beauty.

That hadn't changed.

She allowed herself to go see it now, that was the difference.

She felt that she was getting more and more used to who she was now. It had been incredible before but it just got better and better. Endless possibilities came to mind, wherever she looked, whatever she thought about. It was like before she'd only allowed herself to see a small spectrum of the things she could do and now her perspective had been opened to take in all of them. Every little thing.

Every day, she had lived her live not even noticing the countless invisible borders and landmarks set in her consciousness. She had once read that a finger was just as easy to bite off as a carrot, the human brain just sent strong signals to stifle such thoughts. Every day people walked the sidewalk, not on the street, not doubting the authority of the reality they themselves had enforced. They'd be sitting by a river, never considering just diving into it. They'd talk and act guided by a set of rules they couldn't even name if one asked them.

Social conventions.

Human nature.

She was not human anymore. Every, _every_ possibility was laid out before her to view and assess, to chose from and do whatever brought her the most pleasure. Breaking a rule was a pleasure in itself.

She felt the heads turning as she walked by and it barely registered in the back of her brain.

Of course they'd be looking at her. She knew what she looked like, she knew the way she was moving now, the air coming off her.

Finally, she found a bar that seemed to be to her liking.

She made her way through the flock of people at the entrance and went inside.

It was a beautiful place with wooden interior and it carried the atmosphere of bourbon street inside. She smiled, making her way to the bar and bowed towards a young man sitting on a stool, fixing her eyes on his. "You will get up and leave me the seat," she compelled him and immediately he did as he was told.

When she saw his drink in front of her, she grabbed him by his collar and pulled him in again, compelling him again. "You will leave me your drink and go home."

Then she turned towards the stage and took a sip of it.

There was a black guy singing on stage and she was immediately taken with the air surrounding him. He was confident to a degree that passed over the border to arrogance and then skipped a few steps all over narcissism to a sense of indisputable authority.

Well, indisputable for all the other people around, judging by the looks on their faces. A few stood in the front, cheering him on. There also was a group of guys, standing by the bar that kept their expressionless faces locked on him. Most likely his lackeys.

Maybe he was supernatural.

She pulled out her cigarettes and lit herself one.

"You're not allowed to smoke in here," she heard the annoyed voice of the waitress behind her.

Slowly, she turned around, elevating her eyebrows while a smirk appeared upon her face.

"Well, I'm allowed to do anything, anywhere. Could you be so nice and hand me another drink?"

The girl's eyes widened in shock and anger.

"Excuse me, I think I'm gonna have to ask you to leave this bar."

Caroline's expression turned stony and she stared at the girl, lethal intent evident in her eyes. For a moment she saw a glint of fear in the girl's eyes.

Then her pupils dilated.

"You will pour me another drink and leave me alone. When you're done with working, you're gonna go home and kill yourself. You don't remember this conversation."

Released from the compulsion, the girl poured her a drink, put it in front of her and continued working.

Caroline turned around again, taking a sip of her drink and then a drag of her cigarette as she realized that the man had left the stage.

He was now walking towards the bar, his eyes skimming through the mass of people until he spotted her, then his gaze wandered further through the crowd of people, only to return back to her a second later.

She smiled at him while taking another drag of her cigarette, placing her elbows on the bar behind her.

He continued to walk to what she had presumed were his lackeys and joked with them, downing a drink.

Then, he made his way to her.

They locked eyes again and she smiled while he gave her a big self-satisfied grin.

"You're a new face," he said, coming to halt before her.

"Well, that's because I'm new in town," she answered, cocking her head to the side.

She came off just as confident as him and both of them knew it. There was a tension between in the air and she felt the allure of the game pulling her in.

His gaze flickered to her cigarette.

"You know, you're not supposed to smoke in here," he said, his grin still very evident on his face, although she could feel that he was testing her.

"I know exactly what I am and am not supposed to do," she answered in a seductive tone, her smile sweetening.

He raised his eyebrows in appreciation. His gaze was calculating now.

"There are rules in this world. If you decide to break them you might have to suffer the consequences."

She laughed internally. This was getting good. He was definitely implying he would be the one to enforce said rules. He was the one running this place.

The question was just what exactly 'this place' encompassed.

"It's a good thing I am not afraid of anything, then," she answered, taking a sip of her drink.

She saw amusement as well as dark intent glint in his eyes.

"How about I show you the way to the real party, then?" he asked, offering his hand to her.

She waited a few moments, her expression turning serious for a moment and cocked her head to the side, not breaking the eye contact.

Then, she smiled again and placed her hand in his. At the same time her fingers wandered to his pulse point she felt his doing the same.

They continued staring at each other, their expressions serious and the atmosphere was electric as neither of them found a heartbeat.

Then, she smirked and he chuckled as he slowly pulled her off her seat.

He lowered his head a little, giving her a flirtatious smirk and then started leading her outside, his lackeys following behind them.

Outside, she let go of his hand to light herself another cigarette as they sauntered over Bourbon street.

Well, this was quite the catch.

Who'd have thought. She didn't even have to go look for excitement, it came to her.

They turned into an alley and then walked through a door, revealing a small corridor painted in dimmed light. Instantly, the smell of spilled blood hit her nose and she could spot vampires feeding on people leaning on the walls. He put his arm around her shoulders and led her into a two storey room, blasting with music. People were dancing and drinking. She spotted several vampires, feeding out in the open. She observed all this with pure awe in her eyes.

He slipped his arm off her shoulders and grabbed them two drinks, handing her one and she took it, smiling at him.

"I am Marcel," he said. "King of New Orleans."

 _Interesting_.

She raised her eyebrows in a playfully mocking manner. "The king?"

He leaned in a little, still smiling but his eyes were icy now. "Yes, king. This is my kingdom."

She stared back at him, mirroring his expression.

Then, the friendliness returned to her eyes. "Caroline," she said and he laughed, his whole demeanor changing back to all charming and playful.

"You can feed on the humans here," he said. He pointed towards a red haired girl, standing in the corner that had her eyes fixed on Caroline. "She doesn't even need to be compelled. She enjoys it."

Caroline snorted, her eyes turning icy again. "Pathetic," she spat.

He raised his eyebrows. "Convenient."

"She's either brave or stupid to put herself into this situation deliberately. I think I'm gonna see for myself."

She saw a glint of surprise flash through his eyes.

Then, his smile widened and she even saw a hint of warmth in his eyes.

"How about we make a bet?" he asked. "If she is brave I win. If she's a fool you do."

She chuckled. "Sounds like a plan." She held out her glass towards him and they chinked their glasses as a deep laugh rattled through his chest.

They drank, not taking breaking eye contact and then she placed her drink on the counter and turned on her heels and walked towards the girl, without turning back.

The girl smiled at her, shyly.

When she came closer though, she saw a hint of something else in her eyes.

First of all, this girl was definitely attracted to women, more specifically her. And secondly, the shyness was fake, all calculated. Interesting.

She halted before the girl, giving her one of her sweetest, most seductive smiles.

They looked at each other. The girl had shoulder length, messy red hair and was wearing a skimpy black lacey tank top. She had several piercings on her face, one on her eyebrow and one on her nose. She should consider getting one of those one of these days. Her arms were covered in detailed colorful tattoos.

Caroline leaned in and raised her hand, slowly running it over the girl's upper arm, grazing it softly. The girl stared back into her eyes dreamily.

Caroline smiled at her seductively and then leaned in farther, kissing her.

The girl responded instantly and submissively and not much to Caroline's surprise, she happened to be a phenomenal kisser. Most likely a lot of experience behind these seemingly innocent eyes.

When she drew back the girl was slightly panting and Caroline took a step forward, backing her into the wall.

"So you like being fed on?" she asked and the girl nodded, a suggestive smile in her eyes.

"There's no better feeling in this world," she answered and her words didn't seem naïve at all but those of a person who knew what she wanted and was not afraid to go through with it.

Caroline cocked her head to the side.

"We could have a lot of fun with each other. It depends on something simple, really," she said and the girl looked at her, questioningly, through hooded eyes. All calculation.

"And that is?" she asked, her voice husky.

Caroline gently grabbed the girls arm and raised it up, giving her a sweet smile.

"I want you to bite yourself," she said, softly running a finger over her pulse point. "Here."

For a second, disbelief flickered through the girl's eyes.

"But I'm human," she said. "I can't-"

Caroline raised her other hand to the girl's cheek, caressing it.

"Oh, but you can. You're capable of a lot more than you think."

Caroline felt the tension between them, electrifying her as a tingling sensation washed over her body. The girl never broke eye contact, and strangely enough she couldn't spot any fear as the girl raised her hand to her mouth and then, suddenly, bit down with full force, no restraint.

The blood splattered onto her face as she let out a pained gasp, staring down at her strongly bleeding wrist for a moment.

An instant later, Caroline had her pinned to the wall, her fangs buried in her wrist, sucking furiously.

The girl moaned and leant back against the wall and Caroline felt pure ecstasy at the taste of the blood running down her throat. She was breaking restraints, crashing through border after border and she was reveling in it.

The girl started to grow weaker as she let out small moans and finally, she tensed up, putting her arm on Caroline's shoulder as if to push her away. But Caroline just kept sucking.

"Stop," the girl let out, her voice strained.

" **Stop** ," she said a little louder and Caroline fixed her eyes on hers, making sure the lethal intent was evident in them. The girl's eyes widened in shock and disbelief and much to Caroline's enjoyment, betrayal and hurt. Then she ripped her arm farther upwards, pressing her body into hers and sucked harder, burying her fangs so deep they met bone.

And then, something happened. The expression in the girl's eyes shifted to acceptance and perversely, excitement as they started fluttering shut.

Caroline felt the life leaving her and when she was certain she had finished the job she gently let go of the girl, caressing her check again and then let her drop to the floor.

She turned around again and for a moment the feeling of ecstasy was so overpowering that she felt like she was in slow motion as she walked towards Marcel, an unreadable expression painting his face.

She picked up her glass and downed all of its content. Then she lowered her head, fixing her gaze on his. "You win," she said and then turned away and joined a group of dancing people.

She moved to the music, the vibrant ecstasy building up even more. It came in waves, crashing down on her and she moaned in pleasure. She could still taste the blood and the alcohol on her tongue, the beat of the music was enticing and she had never felt so alive before.

Her body moved on its own, slowly, seductively and she felt eyes boring into her. She smiled at a vampire in front of her and he smiled back.

Suddenly, she felt a set of hands on her waist and a hard chest pressing into her back, a body dancing with her. Marcel leant in and placed his lips near her ear.

"You should be careful," he whispered, seductively. "There are rules in this town."

She smiled. "Have I broken any of them yet?" she asked, innocently while moving against him in a swaying motion.

"Not quite yet," he answered, his breath creating a tingling sensation against her ear. It spread through her whole body.

She giggled and grinded into him provocatively.

"Too bad."

She heard him chuckle and then she intensified the dance, running her hands over his forearms on her sides. He slid his hands down to her hips, his body moving in perfect unison with hers.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest, a satisfied smile spreading on her face.

She felt his arousal for her and it filled her mind with suggestive images.

Who would have known this night would turn out so phenomenally perfect?

She opened her eyes again, vacantly gazing through the crowd of dancers.

Behind the crowd she spotted Klaus, motionlessly staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.


	9. The Real Party 2

 

 

**The real party II**

He wasn't moving and his gaze didn't indicate a thing about his reaction.

She'd expected for him to be shocked, the last time they'd seen each other he'd ripped Tyler's heart out of his chest. To see her coming to him was probably the last thing he'd expected.

The other thing was that she was still grinding up against Marcel. She'd expected him to have a bit of a reaction to that. She giggled at the thought, keeping her gaze locked with his.

If he was as smart as she gave him credit for, he should have guessed that she turned it off already, so she no longer held that card.

Suddenly, Marcel stilled.

"Wait here, I'm gonna get back to you in a second," he whispered in her ear and she turned towards him, raising her eyebrows while smirking at him.

Then, he let go of her and made his way through the dancing people, towards Klaus.

Yes, it made sense that they knew each other. If Marcel was what he claimed – the infamous king of New Orleans – Klaus would have his business with him. What exactly that business was, well that was still to be figured out. Either they were allies or enemies.

Marcel placed his arm around Klaus shoulder, a wide, friendly grin on his face.

She retreated back to the bar and tuned into the conversation.

"I see you've made it back to the party."

Klaus turned towards him, an icy expression on his face. She could feel the tension between the both of them from across the room. Marcel's face had changed, too. Even though the smile was still wide on his face she could see the hardness in his eyes.

Suddenly, a smirk spread on Klaus'. "Well, it's not one until I show up so you should be grateful, mate."

Marcel broke out in laughter. Then he leaned in closer, fixing his now friendly eyes fixed on Klaus.

"Actually, I was having a pretty good time before. You won't believe what I found today."

Klaus raised his eyebrows, smirking at Marcel. "You don't say."

"A pretty little thing," Marcel elaborated, "Yet so much more than that."

Klaus chuckled, closing his eyes. Then, suddenly he had his eyes fixed on hers.

She couldn't read anything in them, again.

"Is that so?" he asked and Marcel turned to look at her for a moment, then back to Klaus.

Klaus looked back at Marcel, his lips curled up in a snarl, but then they formed a menacing smirk.

"Why don't you introduce me, then?"

Marcel chuckled, licked his lips and then fixed his gaze back on Klaus'.

"All right, all right, but," he pulled Klaus in again, "She's my plaything."

Klaus' face froze and his jaw clenched.

He looked like he was about to rip out Marcel's heart.

He smiled again, but every sense of false friendliness was gone.

"All right," he said, raising his eyebrows and then, in one a little too fast motion, ripped himself out of Marcel's grasp.

Marcel laughed and the both of them walked up to Caroline.

So far Klaus hadn't let on anything about the fact that he knew her. Which could have several reasons but she was pretty sure they could be reduced to one word: Marcel.

They were definitely more on the enemy than the ally side.

Why hadn't Klaus killed him yet?

She decided that, if Klaus decided to continue this game of pretense, she would play along. She didn't know enough to make rash decisions yet. Also, this could be of use later.

Excitement spread in her chest. This was gonna be fun.

She pulled out another cigarette and lit it as the both of them arrived at the bar.

She took a drag and then exhaled into Klaus' direction, her gaze fixed on his.

He raised his eyebrows.

Marcel put his arm around her shoulder, grinning at her.

"May I introduce you to Klaus – the hybrid, you might have heard of him."

She raised her eyebrows, smiling. "I might."

Klaus smirked.

"Caroline," she said, holding out her hand towards him. He took it, grasping it a little too tightly. She returned the favor, burying one of her nails in his palm.

He didn't even flinch and then they let go again.

Marcel laughed, freeing her of his embrace. "All right, I'm gonna get us a drink." He turned towards the bar and waved at the bartender.

Caroline took a drag of her cigarette, cocking her head to the side as she kept her gaze locked with Klaus'.

"So you're the _hybrid_ , huh?" she asked, chuckling. "Now, how did that happen?"

If he wanted to play this game she was gonna play it right.

He scoffed. "Long story for another time, love," he answered, taking the glass Marcel offered to him.

Caroline took hers, smiling innocently at Marcel.

"You've got famous friends, I see."

Marcel laughed again, raising his eyebrows at her. "I _am_ famous, darling."

She laughed, taking a sip of her drink. "Too bad I'm not a groupie."

Klaus raised the drink to his lips, smirking and shaking his head.

"Well, you're obviously suicidal."

She raised her eyebrows at him, taking another drag of her cigarette. "The opposite, actually. It seems you're a bad judge of character."

He scoffed, downing the rest of his drink. Then he banged the empty glass down on the counter, locking his eyes with hers in a dangerous glare. She smirked at him.

He turned to look at Marcel.

"She's got a sharp tongue."

Marcel laughed, drinking a little of his drink but almost imperceptibly moving closer to Caroline. She chuckled. Marcel was acting protective over her – towards Klaus. This was just too good. "Well, that's what I like about her."

Caroline almost broke out in laughter. Holy shit, this was just precious.

Klaus, licked his lips, obviously of another opinion. She saw his jaw clench.

"Well, I'm most definitely no damsel in distress in need of _saving_." She accentuated the last words carefully, smirking at Klaus mirthfully.

"And I'm too smart to be seduced by any of you."

Marcel chuckled while Klaus fist was clenching. He glowered at her, his anger now nearly bubbling to the surface.

She was laughing internally. She lowered her head, smirking at Marcel.

"Now, you promised me a party, " she said, letting the cigarette bud fall to the floor, then she leaned in, placing her hand on his chest. " _And I think I have just the idea_."

She turned towards Klaus, an evil glint in her eyes.

"I wanna see you kill something. The both of you."

A frown spread on his face and for a second she saw shock in his eyes. Oh, this was hilarious.

Marcel raised his eyebrows, placing his hand on her hip.

"But you already had your share," he said, chuckling darkly.

She turned back towards him, batting her lashes. "Oh, but sometimes I just like to lean back and watch."

Marcel licked his lips, a glint of excitement in his eyes. She saw Klaus tense up even more.

He took a deep breath.

"I won't be commanded around," he said, glowering at her. "Least of all by a little girl who's a little out of her league tonight."

She chuckled, leaning back into Marcel's chest.

"Too bad," she said, locking her gaze with his. "I guess it'll be only Marcel, then?" She turned her head upwards, towards Marcel who was looking down at her with a wide smirk on his face.

"You don't think I'm out of my league, do you?"

He just chuckled.

Then he leaned in towards her ear. "All right."

He let go of her and walked up to a guy, dancing on the side.

She smirked at Klaus and then leaned back on the bar. Klaus looked at her, an angry and questioning expression on his face, letting the pretense fall for a moment. She raised her eyebrows and her lips formed a menacing smirk. Then she turned away to look at Marcel who was now standing in the middle of the room, the guy by his side.

He raised his hand to his mouth, producing a long loud whistle. Immediately everyone in the room stilled and the music stopped. A wide grin spread on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, placing his arm around the guys shoulders.

"This is James," he said, looking at Caroline for a moment and then back to the crowd. "You know James. James is a nice guy."

James looked up at him, gulping, visibly scared.

"At least I _thought_ he was a nice guy, but," he said, a feigned innocent look in his eyes. Then he fixed his gaze on James, all friendliness falling from his face, replaced by an icy glare.

"He _took_ something from me."

The room was dead silent, everyone stared at Marcel and James.

"Now James, you know there are rules. Very easy to follow actually. I'm a good king, a friendly king," he elaborated, taking a step back and raising his arms in a gesture to accentuate his words.

"Marcel, I don't know-"

Marcel's face fell again, then a wide, friendly smirk spread on it again.

"Who said you could talk?" He moved in again, placing his hand on James' shoulder. "You see, it's easy. I ask you something, you answer. I talk, you stay silent. Got that?" he asked.

James just stared at him like a deer in the headlights. " _Got that_?" Marcel repeated.

"Y-yes," James answered, his voice shaky.

Marcel smiled at him. "Good," he said, raising his eyebrows appreciatively.

Then he turned his head to look around the crowd.

"James here is a bit slow. But I think he got it now, what do you think?"

A few people jeered and Marcel smirked, turning back to James, his hand still heavy on his shoulder.

"Good," he said, smiling.

Then, suddenly, he flashed forward, burying his fangs in James' neck. James gasped, his eyes widening in fear as he tried to push Marcel away. The crowd was hollering now, cheering Marcel on. James struggled, shrieking in pain as Marcel sucked at his neck furiously.

Then, James slowly stopped moving, his eyes falling shut and his body going limb.

Finally, Marcel's head snapped back, eyes half shut, blood dripping down on his chin. He locked his gaze with Klaus who just stood there, staring at him. Then he moved his hands up to James' neck and broke it in a single twist, letting his body fall to the grown.

The crowd cheered again, some of them clapping, others hollering.

Marcel stood in the middle of the room, opening up his arms, a wide grin on his face.

" **Free drinks for everybody tonight!** " he shouted and the crowd cheered again as the music started, louder now.

Caroline laughed as Marcel returned, a cocky smirk on his lips.

Klaus seemed more tense than before. She let her gaze wander between the both of them. God, this was such an interesting dynamic. She could have so much fun with these two, the possibilities played out in her head and she shook her head, downing the rest of her drink.

"So you're the king of vigilante justice?" she asked.

Marcel placed her hand on her hip, pulling her in, a wide smirk on his face. There was still blood on his chin. She licked her lips, her gaze delving to Klaus for a second.

He was staring at her. His hands were still clenched to fists. How much would it take to make him explode?

She leaned in a little, her gaze fixed on Marcel's lips.

Suddenly, Klaus moved. He gripped a girl (a blonde one) and slammed her into the wall, sinking his fangs in her neck. She shrieked. The party around them continued as Marcel and Caroline turned towards the scene. He sucked furiously, violently. The girl's widened eyes met Caroline and for a second the scene reminded her of what had gone down in Elena's living room back then.

The girl was out. Then, Klaus drew back and in one fast motion buried his hand in her chest, ripping out her heart and letting the body fall to the floor.

He turned around, his gaze fixed on Caroline, blood splattered all around his mouth. She gasped. She'd never seen him like this. To say it was a turn on was an understatement.

This was the Klaus she had come here for, the one she had thought about last night.

He walked up to them, staring her down until he arrived. Then he turned his head towards Marcel, a dead serious expression still plastered on his face.

Marcel chuckled. "Hey there, buddy. Calm down."

In a motion too quick to follow he had his hand placed on Marcel's shoulder, grasping onto it a little too tightly. A menacing smirk spread on his face.

"Why, mate? I was just a little _thirsty_."

She saw a small flash of concern flash through Marcel's eyes. Then it was replaced by an icy look.

The two of them kept standing like that, staring at each other.

Caroline chuckled, shaking her head. What a pair.

"Alright, guys," she said, "Thank you for heeding my request."

Both of them turned around to look at her, the tension broken for a moment. Marcel licked his lips.

"I'll be back tomorrow," she said, smirking at them and then turned on her heels and left.

When she arrived at what was now her apartment (she could definitely do better), she dropped the keys on the counter and slipped out of her heels.

She was glad that she had disposed of the body earlier, otherwise it would be starting to smell by now. She fixed herself a glass of water.

When she turned around Klaus was standing behind her, in the middle of the living room, his face again painted by an unreadable expression.

She smiled at him. "And here I was thinking you hadn't gotten the hint."


End file.
